CUSTOMS SETS RECORDS FOR AREA DRUG SEIZURES

U.S. Customs Service officers seized a record amount of drugs in West
Texas and Southern New Mexico during the agency's "most successful
enforcement year ever" in the region, spokesman Roger Maier said.

Customs officers assigned to the agency's El Paso district seized
308,942 pounds of drugs during fiscal year 2000, which ended Sept.
30. That's an increase of about 15 percent from the 269,021 pounds
confiscated the previous fiscal year.

Officials attribute the record seizures to customs' increased hiring
to fill vacancies and technological tools, such as the two portable
VACIS X-ray systems, which are used to search vehicles.

Highlights of the federal agency's enforcement efforts included
stopping a man June 7 at the Paso del Norte Bridge who was carrying
3,644 Valium pills taped to his thighs, and intercepting a
11,541-pound marijuana load May 2 at the Zaragoza International
Bridge.

Maier said the marijuana seizure was the single largest seizure by
customs officers in a decade. The pot was found on top of a regular
shipment of seat belts.

On May 17, customs officers said they seized 1,831 pounds of
marijuana from two cars at the Santa Teresa border crossing, the
largest seizures involving private vehicles at that crossing.

Maier said that through Dec. 22, "a record 153 juveniles (were)
caught bringing drug loads across international bridges," compared
with the 148 juveniles customs intercepted in 1999.

"An emerging trend seems to be smugglers being caught with drugs
while traveling with their families, children and relatives," he said.

Although it wasn't related to drugs, customs officials in El Paso are
also proud of the results of their Operation Steal Rails
investigation, which accused 16 former Pinkerton Security guards of
stealing from rail shipments they were hired to protect, Maier said.